Running
by Sophie The Shipper
Summary: "At least now, there's someone here who might be able to get her to stay." [One-Shot]


**Word Count:** 1870  
**Summary**: Is there anyone that can make Jordan stop running?  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Crossing Jordan or the characters.

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He knew at that moment that she was running away. He looked to the rain falling through his office window and just knew.

The information Nigel found was the last straw. She was going after Max, alone. Jordan was running away again, and he didn't know how to stop it from happening.

He keeps watching the rain falling through his office window, sighing every time he even thinks of getting up from his chair to go after her. It would be pointless. It would be easier to get her in a couple of weeks with Nigel's help under Macy's radar, yell at her whilst being glad she's alive, and then life would go on as always. She would go back into running mode sooner or later, and then the cycle would repeat itself.

It has been her thing even before he appeared. Who was he to change a routine everyone was already so used to?

He hears the door of his office open, but he doesn't even move, deciding that whoever it is will think he's busy or asleep. The rain is falling harder now, and Woody can almost imagine some people running to take cover. A smile appears on his face, remembering one night where he walked Jordan home from the Pogue and it started to rain. It was one of his fondest memories.

The way they both started to run until their lungs hurt, the puzzled look on her face when he stopped running behind her and started to laugh. They jumped on puddles, danced, sang, drank the rain. At that moment, they weren't two parentless adults, they weren't two workaholics, they were just two friends in the middle of the street.

That memory slipped out of his mind when he hears a voice all too familiar.

"Hoyt?" A man's voice is heard, and Woody turns his chair towards the sound.

"Can I help you?" Woody asks, a smile creeping upon his face.

"You need to help her." The man sighs and runs a hand down his face. "She needs your help."

"Jordan needs some time to process everything, Dr. Macy. Just give her that time."

"Don't you get it?" His voice goes up a little bit, and he looks down for a moment, taking a deep breath. "She's going to get hurt. At least now, there's someone here who might be able to get her to stay." His voice goes down as he spoke, and it seems as if he's begging Woody to talk to her.

The response he gets is a laugh. It's not for long, and that laugh quickly leaves the room, and in its place, Woody shakes his head.

"First of all, I think we can both agree that Jordan is a big girl and knows how to take care of herself. She showed this more than once. And second, as someone who knows her for as long as you do, you actually believe someone can talk her out of running away?"

Dr. Macy looks at the detective in front of him and smiles at him. He sits down and stares, and then nods.

"Woody, I think you can talk her out of running away. I think she'll believe you when you tell her you'll help her. She trusts you."

"She trusts you too. And Nigel, Bug, Lily. Why me?"

The M.E. rolls his eyes. "Hoyt, it took you a few months to do what it took everyone else years to do. She trusts you, she believes you. Don't you get it? You showed up here and let her believe you needed to be taken care of. You don't, and everyone knows this. But she allowed you into her life. You think we haven't noticed how she looks at you?"

"Max screwed up," Woody says, changing the subject. "Jordan needs to find a way to be okay with being mad at her dad. I know how hard it is to forgive a parent. It takes time."

"Jordan needs you to talk to her. She needs your help. Now, you can stay in your office until the end of your shift and then go home to sleep. Enjoy the rain for as long as you wish. And when you're done with that, take a look around. Just because Jordan runs away from us a lot, doesn't mean we're okay with that."

Garret gets up and leaves, glancing at the young detective one last time before closing the door. He knows he got into his head when he sees Woody's door opening, and the detective starts running to the exit.

Just a few minutes prior, he was in the comfort of his office, imagining people taking cover from the rain.

And then he was on the street, running because he's car decided to stop working a few blocks from her house, soaked wet, feeling his lungs hurt, but he didn't care. He kept running because he knew that one second could make all the difference when it came to Jordan Cavanaugh.

He gets to her apartment in Pearl Street with his lungs begging him to stop, but his brain kept blaring out a single thought, something that Dr. Macy had said. _"At least now, there's someone here who might be able to get her to stay."_ He was going to prove him right, feeling that need.

He was thankful for her building had a working elevator, and his body was too. He wasn't used to running so fast for so long.

When he arrives at her big, red door, he knocks. He doesn't hear her say anything, but he can hear her move around the house – probably grabbing her things to bolt out of Boston.

He knocks again, harder this time. He waits for a few beats and then starts again. This time, he knocks hard and without stopping. When Jordan finally appears at the door, his hand is red, and he is still tired from all the running. Woody forgot he had run in the rain, and his hair was dripping, his clothes completely soaked, and he was cold. He only felt cold when she finally opened the door.

"Jesus, Woody!" She goes to her couch and grabs a blanket, quickly going back to the door and putting it around Woody. "Come in." She says, reluctantly. He goes in and looks around. She was packing a suitcase and her guitar was on her bed.

"You can't leave, Jo." He says the words Dr. Macy had said still in his head. "I'll help you." He sighs and looks to the ground. A smile shows up in his face, but it's not a happy one. He bits his lip, gaining a few seconds to either not to say what he's about to say or to change his words. But he still talks. "I know how hard it is to... I don't know. Forgive? Forget? I honestly don't understand what you're trying to get here Jordan. All you're going to do is loose. That's it."

Jordan stares at him. Just a few years before this moment, she would look at him and basically count the days he would last in the big city. Memories of everyone placing bets of how long he would last, of her dad joking that working with her would make him run faster than ever, of her making fun of his interrogations because he seemed so new to this. But he got results, and he stayed, proving everyone wrong. She never thought that the detective that changed his tie for her was the same that was standing in front of her.

"I don't know what else to do, Woody." She gave him a Jordan smile, but Woody kept his mouth shut. "Forgive? Don't know what that is. And forget is impossible. But I need answers, answers he has."

"And you think that running will fix anything?" His voice came as a whisper, one that made Jordan shudder. It sounded like he was hurt, and she wasn't sure if it was because of her or anyone else. "Running only makes things okay for a while. Do you think you're the only one that wants answers? Imagine not being able to get them because no one has them. My father died and no one could give me answers." His voice broke, but he didn't allow himself to cry. Jordan knew that feeling too well. Wanting to be strong.

"Woody..."

"I remember the day he died like it was yesterday Jordan. Just as I remember the day my mom died. I was just a kid in both those days, but I had to grow up. I saw them both dead in front of me just like you saw your mom. But I had to take care of my brother. Pretend that I was okay. I wasn't. I didn't have people to look after me. But you had, and you still do. Running to get answers, that's now _the_ answer."

"I _need..."_

"You don't!" He raised his voice, but he took a deep breath to control himself. "You don't need answers Jordan."

"I need them to move on." She confessed.

"You need them because a part of you hasn't forgotten how it felt to lose her. And you feel like you lost him too. But Jordan, you still have him."

"I do? I don't have him anymore Woody. He left. One day he was here and in the next he left without even telling me why. I _need_ him back."

"You don't want answers, do you?" She looked at him, puzzled. "You want _him _back. Even if it is for just a moment. I know how that feels. It won't solve a thing Jordan. I swear. All you can do, in my opinion, is wait."

She grabs her bags. "I don't have the patience to do that. You know that."

Jordan starts to walk towards the door, and Dr. Macy's words seem to yell at him. _"At least now, there's someone here who might be able to get her to stay." _"Jordan!"

"Don't." She threatens. "Don't try and stop me."

He raises his arms in defeat. "I won't. I already know it's hopeless."

Looking at him like that, especially with him pretty much-admitting defeat, made her feel a little bad. It was weird to see him giving up, especially on her. But she wasn't going to stop her quest because of a man – that was something she had promised herself a long time ago.

So, with one last look to her apartment and to the man that would "move Heaven and Earth for her", her blue-eyed detective, her Farm Boy, she closes the door, leaving him there thinking.

"Maybe there's no one that will ever be able to get her to stay." He mumbles, and looking around her apartment one last time, he too leaves.

* * *

**The End**

This story was gathering dust on my computer, so I decided to finally finish it and post it. Hope everyone likes it.

(Were you expecting Woody to be able to stop Jordan from running? Me too, but sometimes what I want doesn't end being what I write xD)


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